Panel: Game Changers
In the Game Changers panel, accomplished female leaders in their respective fields discussed their experiences climbing the corporate ladder and breaking barriers in predominantly male-dominated industries while offering insights to future female business leaders.
Video from the Panel
Panelists
Moderator: Kiyoun Kim, Executive Vice President & Regional Manager for California – IDB Bank
A seasoned executive, Kiyoun Kim leverages more than two decades of commercial and private banking experience to lead several teams of bankers and relationship managers across IDB’s California and Greater New York regions, driving double-digit growth across the bank’s business segments. She has deep industry knowledge and expertise across the relationship-focused commercial banking space, previously holding several positions with IDB, including Downtown L.A. branch manager and West Coast head for commercial real estate. A proud business and community leader, Kim has received several notable recognitions, including the LA Business Journal Women of Influence distinction and the 2022 National Jewish Health’s Humanitarian Award.
Panelist: Patty Glaser, Partner & Chair of the Litigation Department – Glaser Weil
Patricia Glaser is head of Glaser Weil’s Litigation Department and tops the short list of trial attorneys in the nation sought after for high-stakes litigation. Respected as a business trial lawyer, she also provides general legal counsel to publicly and privately held companies across a range of industries, including intellectual property, real estate, entertainment, banking and securities. Her clients include Fortune 500 companies, major studios, real estate investors and developers, financial institutions, and high-profile entertainers and public figures
Panelist: Catherine Reheis-Boyd, President & CEO – Western States Petroleum Association
Catherine Reheis-Boyd has served as the president of the Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA) since 2010 as part of a 33-year career, overseeing the trade organization’s operations and advocacy in five western states - California, Arizona, Nevada, Washington and Oregon. She brings her 39 years of experience in the energy industry to manage legislative and regulatory issues associated with transportation fuels policy, air/water quality, climate, renewables, oil/gas production and more in WSPA states and abroad. Ms. Reheis-Boyd received her Bachelors of Science degree in natural resource management from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and pursued postgraduate studies in environmental engineering at the University of Southern California.
Sarah Quinn, Co-Founder & Vice President – Connect Media
Sarah Quinn is the co-founder and vice president of Connect Commercial Real Estate. She brings over a decade of experience in commercial real estate media, working in event production, marketing, content creation and business development. She works with the Connect leadership team to shape the strategic direction of the company and with clients to develop comprehensive marketing strategies across multiple mediums. Prior to Connect, Quinn was a marketing director for a CRE technology company and started her career at the Real Estate Media Group at American Lawyer Media. In 2016, she was named one of FOLIO Magazine’s “30 Under 30.” Sarah has a B.A. in political science from McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Shared Insights from the Event
IN REFERENCING “GAME CHANGERS,” CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE CHOICES PROFESSIONAL WOMEN MUST MAKE TO FURTHER THEIR BUSINESSES AND CAREERS?
Patty Glaser: I’ve lost one jury trial in my short career - the jury came back nine to three. Throughout the trial there was a judge who was beyond paternalistic. He literally - almost literally - but certainly figuratively, patted me on the head and condescended, and it was awful. And I still got three votes. I promised myself then to always be respectful in court, but don’t allow people to treat you that way. Not judges, not your clients. You can’t allow anyone to treat you that way. When you don’t, it’s not magical, but it certainly happens. You get instant respect from people who are in power. Be clear: say this is who I am, and this is the way I’m going to conduct myself, and if you don’t like it, it’s your problem, not mine.
WHAT IS A SIGNIFICANT RISK YOU’VE TAKEN IN YOUR JOURNEY TO BECOME A “GAME CHANGER?”
Catherine Reheis-Boyd: When I was hired , I said to myself: I am going to be the President and CEO of this organization. I think I had been told maybe at least 20 times during that period that I would never be President and CEO. But you just don’t let people define who you are. There was a board meeting, and I knew I had to give them a choice because I didn’t think they would ever actually make a choice. So. I decided that I would apply for a different job, and I was offered a very good job. I remember going into that board meeting, knowing that if they did not choose to advance me to President, I would have had to take that job and move on. They had that choice. They knew if they had not made me president at that moment in time, I would have moved on. and I remember them calling us both in the current President and myself, and they sat us both down and they said to the current president: Thank you for your services - You are our past and Cath, you are our future.
HOW DO WE SHIFT THE “OLD SCHOOL” AND “BOY’S CLUB” MENTALITIES STILL PREVALENT IN BUSINESS? WHAT IS YOUR ADVICE FOR BUILDING EFFECTIVE NETWORKS?
Sarah Quinn: I think it’s extremely important , and there’s two things: To do it, you have to have the confidence in any room that you walk into to know that your voice is going to be heard. Then you have to have the wherewithal and the initiative to create your own network of women and men who are going to stand by what you have to say and trust. I was at an industry event a couple of weeks ago with 1000 people, and probably 50 of them were women, so there’s a long way that we have to go. But the network that you’re creating and what you do personally every single day is making small changes.
WHO IS YOUR ROLE MODEL AND HOW HAS THAT PERSON INFLUENCED YOU?
Patty Glaser: I had a mentor of mine of sorts who was a wonderful Hollywood lawyer, and he returned every phone call every day; now, it’s not phone calls it’s emails. I returned every email, because I learned from him that. Being a great lawyer is like 50% of the equation. Being responsive is the other 50% - I don’t make phone calls that I don’t want returned; I don’t send emails that I don’t want responded to - We all need to do that, and I’ve learned it from him.
Sarah Quinn: You know, watching my mother as I was growing up, she was a communications consultant similar to myself, and the thing that I learned from her is that there’s always more hours in the day. She was always there as a part of my life, but she was up at 3:30 in the morning, making herself more hours in the day.